Tale 19- The Woman made of Stars

 The Traveler reached a bustling town centre, where she saw hundreds of people selling all sorts of wares, such as exotic fruits, fabrics and books. Stopping for a moment by each stall, she found herself observing an extremely crowded fruit stand. Amid the loud chatter and frequent pushing, her eyes eventually drifted onto a bowl of red apples. Her hands shook upon seeing them as the memories stirred back in her mind, a memory of how she had enjoyed one that night, blissfully unaware of what horrors came after. Before she could stop herself, she raised her hand and hit the bowl, causing it to fall off the table with a clatter, fruit spilling everywhere. Instantly, the crowd dispersed, the Traveler blending into it and hiding her face, extremely remorseful but not wanting to risk arrest. She then saw a young, starving boy scurrying away with some of the fallen apples and tilted her head. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing to do? Regardless, if she had the money, she would have paid for the damages. Her heart raced. When did she become so impulsive? Eventually stepping out of the crowd, she decided to confess her crime and explain it was an accident, approaching the stall owner. Surprisingly, though, he didn't seem particularly angry, simply washing the apples multiple times to avoid them becoming too contaminated to sell. Shameful, she walked over and tried to speak, but the words got stuck in her throat. Instead, he noticed her watching and gave a small wave. “Seen something you like?” he asked, but she shook her head. He then noticed how pale she was and had an idea, offering her an apple. Instantly, she recoiled, sickened, and rushed off, eventually reaching a corner of the town square, where music filled her ears. A young man, seemingly the older brother of the starving child since they were sticking together, was playing the piano beautifully. Unfortunately, though, he got stuck on a certain note, eventually taking a break and noticing the Traveler watching. “I’ve been trying to play this song I heard long ago…” he started, beginning the tale of ‘The Woman made of Stars’

‘Years ago, two brothers lived in a manor with their wealthy parents, who trained the eldest in piano since he was small. One evening, the boy was playing piano when a shooting star hit his lawn, the boy rushing outside to take a look. From the heavens had descended a beautiful woman, dressed in a sparkling silvery gown. In awe of her, the boy couldn’t move, simply motioning her to follow him inside. She made herself comfortable in the sitting room, which also held the piano, and introduced herself as Oliyte, the boy also introducing himself. From another room, his infant brother began crying, the woman instantly following the elder brother upstairs and calming the child with just a touch of her hand. Shocked that he stopped crying immediately, the older brother demanded to know more about Oliyte, who explained she was born from stardust and had been observing humans for a long time. Heading downstairs, the woman noticed that the boy seemed inclined to head toward the piano, and began to hum a melody which sounded otherworldly. She then thought for a moment, offering the boy a gift- she would protect him from harm until she returned from the skies, if he played the melody he heard her sing. He then argued she should protect his little brother too, so the woman agreed, and with that, disappeared in a flash of light, and the boy was left dumbfounded. 

After some time, the family home caught on fire, the boy and his little brother escaping. The two then discovered, miraculously, the piano had not set alight, and the older brother set about playing, hoping both to bring in money and replicate her song. As they grew poorer, the boy pushed his piano to the town square, where he started to play. For years and years he played the same piece, over and over but never able to perfect the right notes. Despite this, they were gifted a world of fortune by Oliyte, as both survived everything that fate struck them with, so they are grateful.’

The boy moved back to his piano, before looking at the Traveler, who sat on a nearby bench and began to write, illustrating Oliyte exactly as he had described her. He began to play, his hand stopping at the same note, before sighing and playing a new piece, crafting his own melody. The Traveler’s heart stopped. He was no longer playing for Oliyte…but for her. The sound was sweet, painfully sweet, but with a tinge of sorrow that was all too familiar to her. The crash of a lower key, her deep-embedded anger, and the lighter notes the longing for a time long passed, a time she could never get back. Tears stung her eyes as she pressed her lips together, trying to suppress the sobs. The apples, the song, all were painful reminders of the scars of that night, the night she hated remembering with all her heart. Shoulders shaking, she stood up and started walking away, before turning around. The older boy stared at her, before giving her a little wave. “Good luck out there.”